Revitalized Missouri program looks to duplicate success in 2008

Gary Pinkel and the Missouri Tigers are on the verge of an epic breakthrough.

After a 2007 season which included a 12-2 overall record, a Big 12 North title and an emphatic victory in the Cotton Bowl, Mizzou now enters the 2008 campaign with expectations to win a Big 12 title and compete for a national championship.

It’s hard to believe that Missouri, which has endured the 5th down fiasco against Colorado in 1990, the kicked ball loss to Nebraska in 1997, and several decades of losing, has a chance to become one of college football’s elite programs. Thanks to the success of the 2007 season, all of the painful memories of the past have been forgotten.

That makes the 2008 season the most important year in the history of Missouri Tigers’ football. If the Tigers flop next season and fail to live up to the hype, they will be right back to where they started. All of the progress made from the outstanding 2007 season will mean nothing. But what if Missouri builds on its 2007 success? If the Tigers win the Big 12 next season and make an appearance in a BCS bowl, they will be on their way to the top of the college football world.

> Check out the 2008 Missouri Tigers football preview online at College Sports Fans!

With most of the starters on offense and defense returning for this season, Missouri has a chance to have a special year. Quarterback Chase Daniel runs the Tigers’ spread offense to perfection, and he has plenty of weapons on offense to work with. Outstanding multi-purpose wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is back for his sophomore season and will be the star of Missouri’s receiving corps. Sophomore running back Derrick Washington will likely be the starter in the backfield for the Tigers, and although Tony Temple had a fine 2007 season, Washington has the potential to be even better. Tight end Chase Coffman will no longer compete with Martin Rucker for looks on offense, and he gives Missouri another viable option as one of the Big 12’s best tight ends. Defensively, defensive tackle Lorenzo Williams and cornerback Darnell Terrell are the only notable losses from a defensive that drastically improved in 2007.

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So the talent is there for Missouri to be one of the nation’s best teams in 2008. Now, the Tigers just need to go out and take care of business. Thanks to the success of the 2007 season, Mizzou must deal with the distractions of the national media and the hype surrounding its program in next season. Everything starts on August 30, when the Tigers will open their season against a dangerous Illinois team in St. Louis. Missouri must tune out the media frenzy surrounding the Arch Rivalry game and focus on the job at hand, because a loss to the Fighting Illini in the season opener could deal a huge blow to the Tigers’ hopes of a national championship.

With another magnificent season in 2008, this Missouri football program could be ready to explode. Fan support is at an all-time high- attendance levels saw a huge boost last year and will be even higher this season. Missouri can forget about the dreadful years under Woody Widenhofer, Bob Stull and Larry Smith in the 80s and 90s. All of the losing of Missouri’s past is over with. It sounds odd, but the Missouri Tigers just might be here to stay.

By Daniel Spewak
Big 12 Fans Missouri Correspondent